With only two games to complete in the Premier League, of which he is already crowned champion, Pep Guardiola expects an inevitable drop in the intensity of his players at Manchester City after they have secured the first goal, but warns Granted he still has two big sporting challenges ahead.
A fifth title in six years came after Arsenal’s defeat at Nottingham Forest on Saturday essentially left the Citizens with three games at risk until the end of the campaign. However, he sees commitments to come.
He has already got past Chelsea and will play Brighton on Wednesday before facing Brentford on the final day, but most importantly the FA Cup final against Manchester United on June 3 and the Champions League final against Inter on June 10.
Regarding the issue, Pep said: “He had a party after the game. I don’t know how he feels. He has to be prepared to run a lot. The best way to prepare for a final is to be prepared. set guidelines, they have to stick to them.”
“Dropping of energy is normal. Arsenal only played in the Premier League, we have the FA Cup, the Champions League, the energy we spend is enormous. It’s normal to go down, we have to avoid that or not go too low because otherwise two teams (Brighton and Brentford) can hurt us”, he said.
And he commented: “Play our game, adapt to the way we play, arrive at United and Inter in the best possible conditions.” Guardiola has plenty of options to keep his players fresh, so there should be no excuse for a major drop in performance.
They made nine changes against the Blues, allowing them to leave 52-goal scorer Erling Haaland, playmaker Kevin de Bruyne, Rodri and John Stones on the substitutes’ bench, while also not using Jack Grealish or Ilkay Gundogan.
It marked the first Premier League start for Calvin Phillips, who has had a difficult start to the season since joining from Leeds for €50m. The technical director insists that his entire squad has a role.
“Everyone can affect, sometimes five minutes are as important as the rest. They were all important, they all participated in the fact that we are where we are,” said the Spaniard in reference to the substitution However, he pointed to the next opponent.
Guardiola himself is a great admirer of the work Roberto De Zerbi has done at Brighton since he replaced Graham Potter, and they also qualified for the UEFA Europa League for the first time in their history with a win over Southampton at Falmer.
“Congratulations to Brighton on this incredible achievement for the Europa League. Pay attention to what I am about to say. I am absolutely sure that I am right in what I say: I believe Roberto is the best player of the last 20 years. One of the most influential coaches”, he indicated.
Briefly, in this sense, the former Barcelona and Bayern Munich player explained: “There is no team that is unique in the way it plays. When he arrived, I had the feeling that he would have a great impact in the Premier League; I didn’t expect him to do so much in such a short span of time.”
“If you don’t play at a high level, he can do whatever he wants with you. They deserve all the praise and success, one of the teams I try to learn a lot from. They’re free men.” Ko is a master of passing the ball. It’s the best in the world, with the right pace and the free man”, he closed.
